Philadelphia Eagles Draft Preview: QB Prospect Rankings, Sleeper Pick

The Philadelphia Eagles haven't done much pre-draft work at QB where the team is comfortable with Jalen Hurts and new backup Kenny Pickett.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason needing a backup quarterback  for Jalen Hurts and were able to get that accomplished on the trade market by sending a 2024 third-round pick (No. 98 overall) and two 2025 seventh-round picks to Pittsburgh for Kenny Pickett, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft, who started 24 games over his first two seasons with the Steelers before falling out of favor.

The Eagles showed interest in Pickett during the pre-draft process in 2022 and that due diligence paid off two years later by getting two relatively cost-effective years as an insurance policy for Hurts.

Moving forward the game’s most important position likely won’t even be a consideration for Philadelphia during the draft this year with Hurts, Pickett, and developmental option Tanner McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick, locked in.

The Eagles believe in Kenny Pickett as a backup.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles even added a camp arm in Will Grier, a player with a significant history with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and first-year quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier.

The QB position is almost always the headliner of any draft and this year’s class is considered to be very strong, featuring tour potential top 10 picks: Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. However, the only goal in Philadelphia is making sure Hurts looks more like his 2022 form when he was the runner-up for NFL MVP rather than the 2023 version who regressed for the first time in his football career. 

DRAFT DAY BOTTOM LINE: Hurts is under contract through 2028, Pickett should stabilize the backup position through 2025 and McKee is under contract through 2026. Even investing a Day 3 pick at this position seems very unlikely for Philadelphia. 

EAGLES QB DEPTH CHART:

QB1 Jalen Hurts; QB2 Kenny Pickett; QB3 Tanner McKee; QB4 Will Grier

EAGLES TODAY TOP 10 (we asked three former NFL scouts for their top 10 at the position and came up with a cumulative list):

-Top 10 Prospect

1. Caleb Williams, Southern Cal

2. Jayden Daniels, LSU

3. Drake May, Noth Carolina

-First Round

4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

-First Round/Second Round

5. Michael Penix, Washington

6. Bo Nix, Oregon 

-Day 2

7. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina

-Day 3

8. Michael Pratt, Tulane

9. Joe Milton, Tennessee

10. Jordan Travis, Florida State

Sleeper - Austin Reed, Western Kentucky

Boom or Bust - J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

BUILDING THE PERFECT QB

Accuracy - J.J. McCarthy, Michigan - This is not a Greg Maddux draft and none of the top choices have pinpoint accuracy. You could make a case for each of the top prospects but McCarthy had a 72.3 completion percentage in an offense where he was protected last season and that means you know the strikes are there in pristine environments.

Arm Talent - Joe Milton, Tennessee - At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Milton has an enormous arm and his hurdle is speeding up his processing skills and most do not believe that will happen at the NFL level.

Setup/Release - Bo Nix, Oregon - The experienced Nix learned the tricks of the trade early in his college career at Auburn. He faced a ton of pressure and learned how to change arm angles,  speed up his release, and keep things on schedule to keep an offense afloat.

Extending Plays - Jayden Daniels, LSU - When the Lamar Jackson comps come you know off-schedule stuff is going to be an issue for opposing defenses.

Football IQ - J.J. McCarthy, Michigan - The glass-is-half-empty crowd might attribute McCarthy’s lack of mental mistakes to the conservative Jim Harbaugh offense. That said, he’s above the rest when it comes to handling things that are being asked.

Intangibles - Michael Pratt, Tulane - A four-year starter, Pratt turned the Green Wave football program from a two-win disaster to double-digits and the Cotton Bowl. He’s a natural leader players will follow. 

EAGLES PRE-DRAFT PROCESS NOTES:

-The Eagles visited with Nix at the combine but haven’t done much work at the position because things are mapped out. 

EAGLES POTENTIAL PICKS:

Day 1 - None.

Day 2 - None.

Day 3 - None.

-Rarely is a position completely off the board in any draft but Hurts turns 26 in August and is under contract through 2028. Pickett, 25, is the rare youthful backup with significant starting experience, and McKee, 23, combines his youth with a big arm and a high football IQ. Even Grier adds something as someone who can help explain the desires of Moore and Nussmeier in a player-to-player fashion.

Unless there's plummeting value on one of the legit prospects where the Eagles see a market inefficiency, you can cross QB off your to-do list.